BMW

History before WWII

In 1916 the company secured a contract to build V12 engines for Austria-Hungary. Needing extra finance, Rapp gained the support of Camillo Castiglioni and Max Friz, the company was reconstituted as the Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH. Over-expansion caused difficulties, Rapp left and the company was taken over by the Austrian industrialist Franz Josef Popp in 1917, and named BMW AG from 1918.

The Treaty of Versailles (1919) prohibited the production of aircraft in Germany. Otto closed his factory and BMW switched to manufacturing railway brakes.

In 1927 the tiny Dixi, an Austin Seven produced under license, began production in Eisenach. BMW bought the company the following year, and this became the company's first car, the BMW 3/15. By 1933 BMW were producing cars that could be called truly theirs, offering steadily more advanced 6-cylinder sports and saloon cars. The pre-war cars culminated in the beautiful 327 saloon and 328 roadster, fast 2-litre cars, both very advanced for their time.

The BMW works were heavily bombed towards the end of the war. Of its sites, those in eastern Germany (Eisenach, Dürrerhof, Basdorf and Zühlsdorf) were seized by the Soviets. The factory in Munich was largely destroyed.

In the east, the company's factory at Eisenach was taken over by the state-owned Awtowelo group. That company offered "BMW"s for sale until 1951, when the Bavarian company prevented use of the trademarks: the name, the logo and the "double-kidney" radiator grille.

The cars were then branded EMW (Eisenacher Motoren Werke), production continuing until 1955.

In the west, the BAC, Bristol Aeroplane Company, inspected the factory, and returned to England with plans for the 326, 327 and 328 models. These plans, which became official war reparations, along with BMW engineer Fritz Fiedler allowed the newly formed Bristol Cars to produce a new, high-quality sports saloon, the 400 by 1947, a car so similar to the BMW 327 that it even kept the famous BMW grille.

• British Aerospace
• South Carolina

Models

Classics

• 507 - a classic 1950s speedster
• 2002 - acknowledged as the first modern sports sedan
• 2000
• 2500-3.3 saloon
• 2800CSi, 3.0 CSL etc.
• M1 - a 1970s mid-engine sports car, designed in conjunction with Lamborghini

• 3-series - the successor to the 2002; a compact high-performance sedan, now in its 4th generation.
• 5-series - a midsize sports/luxury sedan
• 6-series - a classic touring coupe (out of production, will be revived for 2004)
• 7-series - a full-size luxury car, competing against the Mercedes S-Class
• 8-series - a fast, high-technology coupe (out of production)

• M3 - Initially a race-ready version of the 3-series, this model has evolved into a maximum-power, maximum-price touring car.
• M5 - A heavy-duty, high-speed luxury car

• Z1 - A 1980s 2-seater with innovative modular construction
• Z3 coupé - a compact 2-seater sports car
• MZ3 coupé - a compact 2-seater sports car with high-power engine
• Z4 - successor to the Z3; a larger, more advanced, and more radically designed sports car.
• Z8 - flagship sports car; design based on the classic 507 roadster from the 1950s.

• X5 - BMW's first SUV, this vehicle has all the dynamic qualities expected of a BMW, and set new expections for SUV design.
• X3 - (coming 2004) A hybrid wagon/SUV, based on the 3-series wagon.

Related companies

• Isetta
• Glas
• Rolls-Royce - currently owned by BMW (only aircraft engines)
• Rover - briefly owned by BMW, which retained the Mini after selling off the rest of the company (see MG Rover Group).
• Land Rover - sold to Ford; the current Range Rover was developed with assistance from BMW.
• Mini - a tiny little hatchback; inspired by the 1960s Mini, which was the British equivalent of the Beetle.

Motor Sport

• Williams
• Brabham
• McLaren F1
• Touring car racing
• Le Mans 24 Hours
• Mille Miglia
• Nürburgring

BMW Motorcycles

Final drive was by shaft.

Essentially, the same basic design is still manufactured by the company today. But other designs were also introduced.